


Stranger

by Shadowkira



Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2013-01-16
Packaged: 2017-11-20 22:59:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowkira/pseuds/Shadowkira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the loss of Xena in Japan, Gabrielle is on her way to Egypt when approached in her dreams by a mysterious God. She's told that someone is trying to erase her from Xena's past and is trying to alter the future to create a Conqueror.</p>
<p>Rated Mature for language, violence and sexual situations. Nothing too detailed but rated higher to be safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Gabrielle stared out over the ocean, the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. The green eyes of the young woman softened as she turned to retire below deck for the night, the boat trip to Egypt had become quiet about a day in.

The bard could no longer feel Xena's presence and she felt the weight of the loss of her lover in full affect now, she found herself looking for the warrior and even trying to start conversations to empty rooms and the wrong people.

Sighing she made her way to her cabin and glanced around the modest space, a cot was set against the wall to her right. There was a small table between the base of the bed and the wall. Setting down the now blown out candle she had in hand, Gabrielle then slipped into her shift before laying down. She stared at the ceiling, the wood merely a back drop for her eyes as she mulled over the sudden shift her life had made. She'd told Xena she was going to Egypt, to take up the warrior's chakram and bring order to the Romans after Cleopatra's death.

A small groan escaped the bard as she pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes, "How? How am I supposed to do that?" She asked aloud, her voice growing quiet towards the end.

She could feel the fatigue finally hitting her as she lay there, wishing that the strong arms of her warrior held her in a supporting way but fully aware that could not be. Instead she curled into a ball, holding herself as she buried her head further into her feather pillow.

xxx

Gabrielle closed her eyes and waited for Morpheus to once again take her to her dream realm, she could feel her body growing heavier but suddenly she felt as if the bed was gone from beneath her. Her body jerked and her eyes shot open but they were met with nothing but darkness. Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, the bard squinted at her surroundings. She saw nothing, in every direction. Taking in a deep breath she tried to calm herself but she could feel the hairs on the nape of her neck begin to rise, "Xena!"

The familiar name echoed around her until it too faded into nothing, Gabrielle shook her head when she could only hear her breathing. "She can't always help..." She muttered, suddenly a light burst into existence and the blonde shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness.

"W-who's there?" She asked, her voice smaller than she'd heard it in years. She could sense a God was involved but she'd experienced enough with the Warrior Princess to be concerned as to which God it was.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Gabrielle. I am a friend." A soft feminine voice said and just as it spoke a silhouette of a hooded figure came into view.

"A friend?" Gabrielle echoed, squinting harder in an attempt to clear the shadows of the form to discover who it was she was speaking to.

"It doesn't matter who I am, we don't have much time... Or you will no longer exist. Someone is trying to alter our world, your world. They will try to erase you from Xena's history to better their situation. They will change the world but if you interfere there's a chance it won't change for the worse."

"I don't know who you are but you're obviously behind in the facts... Xena is dead. How can someone erase me from her history? Unless..."

"The past is what shall be rewritten and you have to survive and change it, I will give you some of my powers to accomplish this. But you only have three moons to do so and if you fail... Then the world will suffer."

Gabrielle's brows furrowed, she didn't know who this voice was. But it was obviously a woman and she seemed to have good intentions... And what did she have to lose? All she had in this world was to tell Eve that her mother was dead and that even though she'd had the opportunity to save her... That she had let Xena's guilt cause her untimely demise. If this new world was to happen and she had a chance to be with Xena again she had to take it, she had to save her lover this time.

"I'll do it." Gabrielle responded finally, her eyes brightening with determination.

"Good, I knew you would. And I know that you can do it, you will have to reach Xena... She will no longer be the courageous warrior you loved... But a conqueror and a warlord. But if anyone can do it, you can Gabrielle. Thank you."

Gabrielle tried to move forward after the receding figure but no matter how hard she tried she didn't seem to get any closer to it, "Wait! How will I know what to do or if it's working! And will anyone know who I am? How do I hide myself if they're looking to destroy me!" She cried out, the figure was growing fainter with each passing second.

"My powers will protect you but as they wear off it will grow increasingly dangerous for you... So you must work fast but not so much that you rush Xena, she is in a fragile state and will not trust easily... I will tell you more when the time is right."

And with that the silhouette vanished, as if it were smoke. And Gabrielle was once again left alone in the dark void, her mind a jumble with the new information.

xxx

"Gabrielle!"

The bard in question mumbled and burrowed her head deeper into her pillow, she felt as if she hadn't slept at all. Her head was pounding and her eyes seemed to be shut tight as if she wouldn't be able to open them even if she were to try.

"GET UP!"

The blonde squeaked as she was struck hard with a pillow and she sat up fast, her hands instantly going into a defensive position guarding her head. But she lowered them quickly as she took in her surroundings. She was back in Potidaea, in her parent's home and it was her sister pelting her with pillows.

And with that realization the diminutive bard was on her feet, her own pillow in hand, Lila didn't even see the hit coming. The younger sister suddenly found herself laying on the floor, her shorter sister standing smugly over her.

"Be more respectful to your elders Lila, or you'll be seeing a lot more of this." Gabrielle said with a wide grin, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, yeah...Well, you respect your elders and get dressed! Or mom is going to skin the both of us! Did you forget we were leaving the village today to go to market?" Lilia hissed, wiping off her clothing as she rose from the floor.

Gabrielle bit her lip, her mother was the one person she didn't like to argue with. She sighed and began to pick out clothing for the day, she knew what was happening but she wondered how it was all going to play out. She could feel that her body was not as muscular as it had been before she went to bed, the years of training and the warm sun had not touched this body. Her skin was fair and her muscles average but her mind was as sharp as ever and contained the knowledge of her future.

Turning back to her small bed she moved to fix the covers and when she moved her pillow she uncovered a small pouch. Curious the bard picked it up, it didn't take her long to figure out it's contents. The strong smell of peppermint assaulted her senses as she smiled down at the pouch. Her father had gotten her the peppermint leaves when a traveling salesmen had gone through the town with an abundance of it. It wasn't impossible to get a hold of but it was expensive and typically only used at special dinners. It was much more common in rich households.

Tugging gently on the string holding the top closed the bard retrieved a small leaf before popping it into her mouth, chewing slightly before sliding it along her cheek. "Okay Lila, I'm ready!" She cried, scurrying towards the front door of the farm house.

Lila wrinkled her nose as Gabrielle rushed passed her, "Ugh, did you really have to bring that awful stuff along? It smells horrible..." The younger girl complained as she struggled to keep up with her sister, the blonde chuckled.

"Sorry, I have to use it before it goes bad... Dad still paid a decent dinar for this 'stuff' you know."

xxx

"GIRLS! What took you so long? We've all been waiting on you two!" Hecuba cried, her hands on her hips. Gabrielle gulped as her eyes fell on her mothers agitated expression, she had fought demons and warlords but she still feared her mother's wrath above all else.

"Sorry mom..." The two girls mumbled as they approached the group, the other women chuckled and gathered their own daughters as they began to head down the road.

Gabrielle kept her eyes trained to the road ahead of them, it had been a straight before but was beginning to wind. She could feel her stomach beginning to twist as an ominous feeling filled her gut, something was going to happen and she was going to be ready. She was also half listening to her mother and Lila talk, she'd missed the sound of her mother's voice. It had been years since she'd heard it and she wanted to remember as much of it as she could. 

After returning to her child hood home to find that her parents and Lila's husband had been slain by Gurkahn, Gabrielle had tried to think about her parents as little as possible to keep from feeling it had been her fault. If she'd been home she could have saved them.

Shaking her head the bard rationalized that if she'd never left home she wouldn't have had the skills to save them and if she'd left home like she had then nothing would have changed. 'I would never leave Xena's side willingly, not anymore.' She thought, tears stinging her eyes as she pushed down the things she could no longer change.

Gabrielle was suddenly snapped from her thoughts as the faint sound of hooves met her ears, there were at least fifteen riders and they were moving quickly. She could tell that they weren't the type of riders that would commonly occupy a small traveling road such as the one they were following.

The young woman grabbed her mother's hand and held it tightly, Hecuba turned to her eldest daughter. Confusion written across her features, "What is it Gabrielle?" She asked, slowing her pace slightly.

"Mom, something isn't right..." She said gently, trying to keep her voice low as to not startle the other women. Hecuba laughed, and squeezed her daughters hand.

"What isn't right sweetie?" She asked in a calming tone, Gabrielle went to answer but before she could even say a word the riders were coming around the bend. They wore black leathers and bright silver armor, their clothing was dyed a deep royal purple. The women of Potidaea cried out in confusion and backed themselves into a tight circle. Gabrielle pushed herself in front of her mother and Lila, her eyes set on the figure in the middle.

The men along the outside edge were obviously of the lowest rank the ten of them had less armor, wore black clothing and were without helmets, behind the outside ten was a group of two in front with less armor and purple clothing without helmets and two helmeted figures behind them. And in the middle atop a white gold mare was a well armored individual with a rather wicked looking sword, Gabrielle's heart skipped a beat.

But her joy was short lived as a deep voice erupted from behind the helmet. "Gather them up." He said nodding to the man on his right, Gabrielle felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

'Ares...' She thought, her jaw set as she watched the man off to the right of the God of War remove his helmet.

"You heard him, get the youngest and prettiest first. Kill the others." The man said with a smirk, Gabrielle grit her teeth together tighter as her eyes fell upon the warlord Draco.

"No! Don't harm them! Please, we'll come with you!" The bard cried as she pushed her way forward to the front of the group, the older women stared in shock at the display but said nothing.

The younger women hugged their mothers goodbye before moving to follow Gabrielle's example, the small group was composed of about six girls aging from fourteen to nineteen.

Draco laughed slightly at how easy the villagers were making his job, "Alright boys, get them so we can get back! It's almost dinner time." Gabrielle watched warily as she and the others were pulled up onto the horses, she sadly watched her mother as the horses began to move away.

Draco and Ares weren't too far ahead and she couldn't help but overhear their conversation, "What do you want us to do with the village?"

"Whatever you want." Ares answered simply, Draco smirked at the God of War's answer.

"What will the Conqueror say?" Draco asked sarcastically, the God of war remained silent as Draco nodded to the man off to his left. "Burn it, and get rid of the old hags back there."

Gabrielle's eyes widened, she could feel the tears welling up as she thought about her situation. She couldn't do anything... Not now, it would blow her cover and ruin everything. And she couldn't let on what was going on or it would panic the other girls. Her heart sank as she forced herself to remain still, trying to push down the bile rising in the back of her throat.

The rest of the ride passed by in a blur, before she knew it Gabrielle found herself in a large camp. Purple banners flying around the edge of the encampment, a silver chakram symbol depicted in the center with an 'x' through it. Gabrielle felt her heart finally rise a little, and her mind distracted from the painful events at the beginning of her ride.

"Take them to the feasting tent, I'm sure Xena will be returning shortly and you know she'll be hungry. She'll also be angry once she discovers today's events... So I'd like her well fed at least." Ares said before turning and disappearing into a flash of light and sparks.

xxx

The tent the girls were led to was extremely large, Gabrielle's ears flushed slightly as her stomach growled at the smells that assaulted her nose as soon as they were led inside. The guard leading them in moved up to a young woman in peasant clothing, they spoke for a moment before the woman stepped towards them herself.

"Hello, please come this way... We must finish preparing the meal before the Conqueror returns... And we must prepare some of you to serve the Conqueror and her army tonight." There was a small amount of chatter amongst the girls of Potidaea as they were showed the tricks of the feasting tent.

The young woman instructing them turned towards the front of the tent as a horn sounded outside, she turned back towards Gabrielle, Lila and two of the other new girls.

"We have to get ready, now." The young woman said, her voice extremely serious as she made sure her outfit and hair were smoothed out.

"Excuse me," Gabrielle asked trying to catch the woman before she could move away, "I don't think I caught your name?"

"I'm sorry... My name is Leah and you are?"

"Gabrielle, thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome, as long as the Conqueror is around things aren't so bad here... It's the generals you have to watch out for..." Before Leah could finish her sentence she was cut off by the tent flap being pulled back. Two guards moved inside first before holding back the flap for a rather irritated Xena.

Gabrielle's heart stopped, she could feel excitement filling her body as the other woman moved to a far table and settled herself down for her meal. The bard wanted nothing more than to run to the dangerous woman and hold her close but she had to once again hold herself back.

Leah handed her a silver chalice full of dark wine, "Serve it to whoever asks and move quickly and carefully... They've been riding all day, they're easily irritated and flirtatious."

Gabrielle nodded and stood with some of the more seasoned servers already waiting, her heart jumped as Xena raised her hand. "Wine." She said in a low voice, before returning her hand back to her chakram which was casually being spun against the table.

The bard twitched to move but stopped as a woman further down the line beat her to it, biting her lip Gabrielle moved back into her spot. Her eyes following Xena's every movement. The warrior barely even acknowledged the young woman pouring her wine, her eyes still trained on her weapon in a bored manner.

Both women's eyes moved suddenly to the flap of the tent as a group of soldiers entered, two more decorated leading the group. Gabrielle recognized only one of them from her previous life but she was fairly sure she knew the other from Xena's stories.

"Nice of you to wait for your men, Xenaaa." The first man said, taking his seat next to his Conqueror. Xena rolled her eyes before returning her chakram to her hip and nodding towards the servant closest to her again.

"If you idiots didn't take so damn long I wouldn't have been the first one here, Borias." She bit back, the brown haired man chuckled at her foul mood.

"What's gotten you so riled, highness? Your spirits were high not so long ago."

"Ares, he's been meddling again." She answered, her eyes moving towards the group of new hands scurrying around the tent as the soldiers continued to trickle in.

"Where are they from?" He asked, beginning to understand the woman's anger.

"Remember that seer Ares had me talk to? He took Draco and Hector to gather these girls up but apparently they didn't find what they were looking for so they brought me home 'gifts' to make it all better... I will run my army how I want to, I didn't get here just because of that pompous God of War." She growled through her teeth, Borias shook his head and winked at the servant as she was moving to leave.

"All this drama over a little palm reading?"

Xena nodded, once again moving her eyes over the new faces. She locked eyes with Gabrielle for a brief second. Intrigued by the look in the young woman's eyes and the continued eye contact. For once the Conqueror was the one to shift her eyes away first, her gaze then moved to Hector who was seated several tables away. The rat had the balls to come to get food after assisting in the little raid earlier, she'd get him in private later to reprimand him.

xxx

Gabrielle was relieved to finally get to move around the tent, she had been getting jittery as she waited off to the side. The meal was being served now and the tent was loud with conversation and laughter. Spirits seemed to be lifted instantly as the wine was poured, the blonde kept a careful watch on the Conqueror's table. But Xena seemed content at the moment, just as the bard was going to turn Borias nodded his head towards her. His lips parting into a wide smile, "May I have some wine?"

Gabrielle moved forward her heart pounding as the icy eyes followed her to the table, Borias was the polar opposite of Xena's current state. He grinned wider as Gabrielle refilled his mug, "Are they treating you well so far, young one?" He asked, his heavy accent making him seem even more cheerful.

Gabrielle nodded and flashed a small smile of her own, Borias nodded towards Xena. "Her highness is good at keeping them in line but don't let that grumpy and arrogant exterior fool you... She's actually quite good company on a better day..."

"Borias..." Xena warned, she watched the faint amusement that shimmered in the green eyes of her new servant. Gabrielle bowed to the two of them as she noticed an argument coming on, she felt her heart sink at their interactions. She remembered their relationship in the past life and wondered if it was the same in this life as well but before she could think about it more she heard an agitated scream over the noise. A familiar scream. She turned towards the sound to see Lila trying to separate herself from a very drunken Hector. He slurred and leered at her as the rest of the men at his table chuckled at his actions. Gabrielle felt her blood boil as she watched the disgusting man manhandle her little sister.

"C'mon sweetie, I'll make sure no one else here lays a figure on you... You just have to promise to be mine! I'll even ask your daddy... Oh, wait!" He cried out, laughing more as he ended his sentence. Lila ignored his comment, not realizing what the drunken soldier was talking about. She pulled her hand free roughly only to be caught once more by Hector.

He held her tighter this time and when she tried to pull away again he struck her with an open hand. Lila winced as her cheek turned a bright red, individual finger marks standing off of the soft skin of her cheek.

Hector was about to pull his hand back again when a splitting pain erupted across the back of his skull, "Gabrielle!" Lila gasped, her eyes wide as the man fell to their feet with a groan.

Gabrielle glared down at Hector as he moved to rise, "Don't touch her again, pig." She growled out before spitting on him, the man rose to his full height in an attempt to intimidate her. In his drunken stupor he failed to notice how quiet the tent had grown and how closely the Conqueror was watching his actions.

"Watch who you're talking to, cunt." Hector growled as he wiped her spit from his lip, Gabrielle stared at him defiantly. Begging him to try and strike her, she wanted to make sure she covered her own ass and not get herself in trouble too early on.

Growing angry Hector moved to draw his sword and as soon as the tip passed the sheath Gabrielle knocked it from his hand with a well placed hand of her own. Hector grunted in surprise as his sword flew off to the left and slid partially underneath one of the walls of the tent. A snicker passed through the tent at the display, fueled by a drunken rage the man clenched his jaw and his fist before winding back for the strike.

Before it even registered what was happening Hector found himself on his back, his nose gushing from the palm strike he'd just received. The man stared at the blood pooling in his hand in shock for a moment before jumping to his feet, he now only saw red.

The rest of the tent was oblivious of the Conqueror slowly creeping towards the scuffle. She moved herself slowly along the wall of the tent, her eyes never leaving the scene.

Hector was attacking Gabrielle in a blind rage now, his fists flying every which way in a vain attempt to land a hit on the agile young woman. Gabrielle bided her time until she noticed him starting to tire, she then switched tactics so that she was on the offensive.

The bard landed a quick knee to the stomach and as the warrior was doubled over gasping for breath she brought her elbow down on the back of his head, Hector crumpled to the floor in a heap. And before the bard could blink she felt a very sharp knife being held to her throat and warm breath softly grazing her ear.


	2. Chapter 2

"Don't move, girl." Xena growled, her eyes trained on the stirring Hector.

"Why the fuck haven't you killed her?" Hector cried as he stumbled to his feet, his eyes mad with rage. "She's attacked one of your soldiers, the punishment for that is death!"

"And you slaughtered my village!" Gabrielle cried out, not caring what happened as she faced down one of the men who had once again taken her parents away from her.   
Xena was mildly surprised that as the girl yelled back she moved her upper body forward slightly, the blade digging into her skin enough to draw blood.

"Hold still." The conqueror warned again, "And you... Were you there?"

In his angry and drunk stupor Hector answered without thought, "Yeah... I was there, we had fun with those bitches in front of their hobbled husbands before we hobbled them and set the whole place a flame. Then we waited a while and listened to them scream..." 

Gabrielle's jaw was set tight, her eyes refusing to give him the satisfaction of a single tear. 

She ignored the whispers and cries of her fellow villagers spread out around the tent, Hector sneered at her as he leaned in a little closer. "Your mother, her name was Hecuba, wasn't it?"

Without warning the blonde grabbed him by the neck, her grip tightening in an attempt to crush his windpipe. 

But the young woman quickly found herself holding nothing but air as she was knocked to the floor by none other than Xena, the dark haired warrior's blade now jutting out from Hector's forehead. 

She pried a blade free from his fingers as his body crumpled to the ground, wiping her own blade off before re-sheathing it behind her breast plate. 

She then turned her cold eyes towards Gabrielle, who was still on the floor. The smaller woman's chest rising and falling rapidly as she glared at the prone form of Hector.

"Get up." Xena said, her eyes narrowing as her slave stared at her for a moment before complying.

Gabrielle lowered her eyes as the Conqueror stood before her, she could feel the anger emanating off of the older woman and she felt her ears flushing slightly. Even if this wasn't her Xena... She didn't like to disappoint her.

Suddenly Gabrielle noticed Xena's feet shifting, the blonde moved as quickly as she could but the taller woman had the advantage with her long arms.   
The blow grazed the blonde's ribs as she moved away, her green eyes wide in surprise. She could tell that although Xena was angry she was not out for blood. Was she testing   
her? 

Gabrielle continued to dodge the onslaught of artificial attacks, she couldn't read the other woman's expression but she could tell she was either being tested or toyed with.

Grinning inwardly the blonde decided she'd play along, instead of only dodging; the smaller woman began to let the Conqueror in closer. 

She deflected the attacks quickly and in a way that used Xena's momentum against her. The onlookers in the tent watched in silence as the two moved around the tables, they seemed to be caught up in an elaborate and and violent dance.

Seeing the challenge being presented Xena decided it was time to step it up a notch, picking up speed the warlord caught the blonde off guard and landed a decent blow to her shoulder.

Wincing Gabrielle managed to catch her balance before the dance started again but faster and more aggressive. Xena landed one or two more blows and although they hurt they were still superficial and would barely leave a bruise. 

Gabrielle's untrained body felt pain a lot more easily than her toned body had. Deciding to step her own half of the dance up, Gabrielle mulled over a way to keep it from becoming aggressive on her end.

She watched Xena's movements closely and waited for the warrior to move in for a punch before slipping out of the way just enough that the Xena's arm went between her arm and her torso. 

Gabrielle brought her face close to Xena's, barely brushing her lips across the warrior's before flipping backwards and out of range. Xena blinked, slightly shocked at the shift in tactic by the young slave.

Slave, what slave knew how to fight like this?

The conqueror felt the back of her neck getting warm as an eruption of whistling and jeering rose from every direction and for the first time in a long time... Xena felt embarrassed. 

She had only been toying with the girl to see how much skill she really possessed but this young, farm raised woman was actually toying with her too.  
Suddenly anger overtook the conqueror and her eyes turned even colder. She moved in a blur, her fist connecting with one solid blow to the smaller woman's temple.   
Xena watched in satisfaction as Gabrielle crumpled to the floor, the bruise already beginning to show on her fair skin. As she turned away, she saw the dark haired girl from earlier struggling with two other slaves.

"NO, Gabrielle! Please don't hurt her... Please..." Lila whimpered as she fell to her knees, her vision distorted by her tears.

Rolling her eyes Xena motioned for a guard to come to her aide, one of the nearby men with a spear approached quickly but cautiously. "Yes milady?" He asked in a small voice, the conqueror narrowed her eyes at him. 

"I want this pig stripped naked and castrated. His cock hanging from his filthy mouth and impaled up the ass just in front of Draco's tent. Make sure to do it after that coward sneaks out tonight to get his late night meal, I heard rumors he's avoiding me after today's events."   
She paused for a moment, "I want him to see what insubordination will get him as soon as he leaves his tent in the morning." She spat out coldly before turning to face the rest of her men, her arms crossing quickly over her elegant breast plate.

"I set rules to have them followed, use this man as an example... I give you everything, I pay to have you rewarded with physical affection if you are unable to get it on your own. There is no need to rape and threaten my servants, if you choose to disobey... Then I will make sure you are alive to feel what this coward was lucky enough to escape with my dagger tonight." Silence held in the tent, every face in the space had their eyes fixed on the conqueror.

She knew that overall most of the men here were loyal to her but with snakes like Ares and Draco about she couldn't be too sure. "And make sure to get her to the infirmary, gather Hector's leathers, clean them and have them resown into leathers for her. She's earned them." With that the conqueror headed back to her table and sat down next to Borias as if nothing ever happened, the man shook his head.

"Despite all of the new armor and fame you never change, do you Xenaa?" He asked, her body remained rigid but he decided he'd pry anyway. "She was good... For a farmer's daughter. Wonder where she learned to fight like that?" He mused, nursing his wine.

The warrior raised her icy gaze to meet his, "Do not forget Borias... I came from a farming village as well, and two brothers." Xena cast one last glance towards the young blonde who was now being held carefully by her sister, "I'm retiring for the night. Make sure to make it a point to tell these soldiers that neither Ares nor Draco find out about my sparring match with that girl. I think they might have found what they were looking for in that village...They were just looking too hard to see it."

xxx

Gabrielle groaned, clutching at her head as she forced her eyes open into what appeared to be a dimly lit chamber. The bard squinted in confusion and tried to look around further. She was no longer surrounded by the walls of the large feasting tent but a much smaller, darker colored one. "Good, you're awake."

"Oh Leah, hello... Where am I?" The blonde asked, Leah smiled slightly at her confusion.

"You've been asleep for over a day, the Conqueror really gave you quite the blow to the head... And we're just east of Therma I believe. I tried to do what I could for the bruising but it started too quickly... I don't know that the massaging really did much either. I'm sorry."

Gabrielle furrowed her brows, "It's not your fault... Where's Lila?" She asked, the other woman laughed.

"Don't worry, she's safe. She's helping out in the feasting tent, she'll be coming around shortly." Gabrielle nodded, a relieved sigh escaping her.

"I would love to continue our conversation, specifically after last night! But I was to bring you to the Conqueror as soon as you were awake. Here, take these." The brunette said, offering Gabrielle a well folded leather outfit. The blonde raised her brows in surprise, staring at the outfit being extended to her.

"For me?"

"Yes, they were Hector's... We were instructed to clean, take apart and re-piece this into a suitable outfit for you. Don't worry, we were thorough." She added with a smile, Gabrielle accepted the leathers with a nod. She'd only worn leather like this on a few occasions, once being when Xena had been poisoned and she had to pose as the Warrior Princess.

"The washroom is through that flap, it's nothing special but it will do for now. I'll be back in a few minutes... I have to let the Conqueror know that you're awake and will be visiting her soon." Gabrielle nodded and headed towards the small room, she found a bucket of cold water and a wash cloth. 

Frowning slightly, the young woman stripped out of her dirty dress. She folded it neatly before placing it on the cold floor. Gabrielle shivered as goosebumps spread out across her pale skin, making her grimace at the mere thought of washing with such cold water. 

Sighing she began to scrub the dirt and grime from her body, rechecking herself several times before moving to another area. She wanted to be as presentable as possible when she saw Xena for the second time since coming into the altered world.

xxx

Xena sat at her desk, her lips drawn into a tight line as she lost herself deep in thought. The day Ares had taken her to speak to a seer had been an odd one, he'd insisted that she speak to a woman named Alti but she had adamantly refused. 

She didn't like Alti, the woman was shifty, manipulative and evil. When she'd refused to let Alti do the reading Ares had insisted that the witch at least be present at the reading. 

Unhappy about his decision but not having any reason to argue Xena had agreed, despite her utter discomfort over the entire thing.

The old man that Ares had selected to read her fortune and future could barely see, his eyes glazed and tired. 

But they had lit up as soon as his wrinkled old hand touched her arm, "I see... Much success in your future. You will rule over many lands and will be well liked by your men. Despite this, there will be a few who think very ill of you. You should beware those people for they will be your downfall. I also see a young woman of fair hair in your future... She will threaten your position as Conqueror..." 

Xena remembered her eyes narrowing at this, the old man noticed the shift in posture and placed his hand over hers. "Now wait, listen... She may threaten your position as Conqueror but she will offer you much, much more than that... You will grow and learn from her and possibly earn an even higher position..."

"What position is higher than ruler of most of the known world?" Xena remembered scoffing at the idea, having then leant in her white teeth showing in full force. "Unless she's planning on bringing me Caesar's head on a platter."

The old man shook his head, "No, no... She is a gentle soul, she will tame your wild heart."

Ares snorted behind the conqueror, "Alright, I think we've heard enough about this dreamy woman my sister has most likely concocted to ruin my fun, Elkton. Where can we find her?" His temper flaring at the thought of his prized warrior being swept off her feet when she so routinely turned him down. 

Elkton remained silent a moment, his tired eyes fluttering shut. "She's from a small village... Potidaea, yes. That's it. She lives with her parent's and sister."

Xena rose from the table, her cape flowing out behind her as she turned, "That's enough. We're leaving. Thank you for your time but I only came here for their well being not my own." She remembered her tone being extremely sour, not liking the possible intentions the God of War might have the with information he had just uncovered.

xxx

Sighing and gripping the bridge of her nose the Conqueror raised her head as she heard movement outside her tent, "Come in." Leah peeked her head in around the entrance , her bangs falling in her eyes as she smiled.

"She's awake, I have her freshening up before I bring her to you. I wanted to make sure you weren't busy."

Xena smiled back, "Good, I've been looking forward to speaking to her... Now that the terms will be better and someone isn't threatening her."

The brunette nodded, "Her fighting style is oddly familiar you know..."

"I'm aware, I saw it first hand. It's very curious but I have a feeling it will be a little while before we know what that's about, we'll have to get her to trust us first."

"Do you really think she's the one that they were looking for...?"

Xena narrowed her eyes, "Don't. He could be listening."

Leah nodded bowing her head with a wink before turning to leave, "Yes Conqueror, my apologies."

xxx

Gabrielle glanced down at her new attire, she liked it despite not being used to the texture of anything beyond Amazonian leather. It was something she was going to have to get used to. 

The outfit looked like it had been taken apart, made smaller and slimmer so that it would fit to her body. She could tell they had attempted to sew in a feminine flare but it was certainly not an outfit she would have picked for herself. 

The blonde turned her head as she heard Leah clear her throat from outside, "Are you decent?"

"Yes, thank you."

The brunette smiled, "That's not a bad look for you, although I wish it wasn't black. Your personality is too bright to be wearing such a dark color. Oh well, come this way. The Conqueror looks forward to speaking with you."

Gabrielle flushed and pushed a lock of golden hair back behind her ear, quietly following the brunette through the camp. They only stopped when they came to a large well protected tent in the center of the encampment. 

"You're new here, so don't think that I'm being bossy or anything but... Please be sure to thank the Conqueror, she has done you a great honor... Now go, I was told it was only to be you speaking with her at this time. Good luck." And with that Leah turned and left the way that they had just come, Gabrielle felt warm. The leather trapping the sweat as it formed, she mumbled slightly before pulling back the flap.

Xena was sitting at her desk her eyes scanning a map intently, her purple robe was open down the middle and slightly exposing her sheer slip underneath. 

Gabrielle found herself having to concentrate on not staring, her eyes then moved up to the warrior's face. The soft light of the nearby candle seemed to make her usually hard features glow. Gabrielle wished she could approach her and have it be like their old life but she held herself back, teeth worrying her lip. 

She moved her eyes around the tent, the bedroom portion off to the her right. A large and comfortable bed barely visible behind the shroud of the thinner inner walls of the tent.

"Glad to see you're finally awake, I guess I hit you harder than I was intending to."

Gabrielle crinkled her nose slightly, turning her attention back to the warrior. But before she could even consider coming up with a snide response the Conqueror turned and rose from her seat. 

The blonde was lucky enough to keep her jaw from hitting the floor, the sheer shift was even more exposed as the Conqueror moved. Her movements were slow and deliberate. Like a predator, stalking it's prey. The blonde inwardly gulped remembering what her Xena had said about her more wild and promiscuous self.

"Your name is Gabrielle, correct?" The older woman asked in a bored tone, the younger woman watched as she poured herself a deep colored red wine.

"Yes Conqueror, it is." Nodding Xena tipped her skyphos to her lips, her eyes never leaving the smaller woman.

"I'm going to offer you an opportunity. To not accept this opportunity would be very foolish but you don't strike me as that kind of woman, Gabrielle."

The blonde's brows furrowed, she wasn't sure where this was going . She wasn't sure what to expect from this Xena.

"It's rather obvious that you possess some fighting skills that your fellow villagers do not. I... Respect that. I too came from a humble farming village and that is why I'd like to extend the invitation for you to train with my personal guard. However if you betray my trust and turn against me, I will kill you. Personally."

Xena watched the other woman's expression closely and was again mildly surprised to see no shift in expression, "Conqueror... Who exactly is your personal guard?"

"What is left of the Amazon nations Ares sought to conquer, in return for their lives... They now serve me. The fighters still fight and the rest are servants doing whatever their previous trade can assist with my other staff."

Gabrielle watched the Conqueror closely as the older woman moved closer, her fingers playing with a small lock of the blonde's hair, "Find a way to show me your loyalty and that you are worthy of this offer and I will begin your training immediately..." A shiver rolled down the her spine as Xena moved in to finish her sentence, her breath hot on the blonde's ear.

Just as Xena moved to turn away Gabrielle turned to meet her, their faces just inches away. 

Xena's eyes widened as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck, she'd been so focused on the younger woman's soft lips so close to her own that she had missed the quick hand movement.

Gabrielle caught the taller woman as her legs gave out and maneuvered her over to the bed. She struggled a little more than she would have under better circumstances because of how heavy the well muscled woman was compared to her small body. 

But Xena hadn't noticed her struggling, the older woman's mind was a jumbled mess as her usually quick mind struggled to grasp what was happening. Her eyes moved towards   
Gabrielle's and even though she could speak no words came forth.

Straddling the warrior the blonde dipped her head lower, her lips just next to the other woman's ear. "I've just cut off the flow of blood to your brain... I will remove this before the thirty second are up but I'm going to keep you immobilized. It will be several minutes before you'll be able to move again." She paused for a moment before lifting up slightly, her lips almost touching the conqueror's. 

Xena watched the green eyes carefully, she saw an emotion flash across them that sent her heart racing.

"If I wanted to kill you... I would do it now." Gabrielle whispered, unable to keep herself from brushing her lips gently against Xena's.   
Catching herself as soon as she realized what she was doing, she pulled away without a word.

Gabrielle went to sit by the entrance of the tent for a few minutes before coming back to the bed side. "It should wear off soon, if anyone tries to come in here I would tell them not to. If you don't know who to trust that is."

Xena watched for as long as she could the retreating form of the mysterious warrior of Potidaea...


	3. Chapter 3

Gabrielle peered out of the flap of the tent, her eyes scanning any person walking nearby in the encampment. Just as she was about to leave the tent and Xena's prone form, her eyes fell upon someone who made her blood run cold.

"Callisto..." Gabrielle whispered, her mind racing as the woman drew closer. The taller blonde appeared to be heading straight for the Conqueror's tent.

Thinking quickly the Gabrielle ruffled her hair and loosened the lacing in her top before moving casually out of the tent. Standing just beyond the flap with her arms folded over her chest.

Callisto approached glaring at Gabrielle as she noticed her, the shorter woman shook her head as Callisto reached for the flap of the tent.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you... The Conqueror is indisposed at the moment, she said she didn't want any visitors."

Callisto's lip raised into a sneer, her brows furrowing. "And who the fuck are you? Her new whore? She's needed at a meeting the God of War has called, it's pretty important. Blondie."

Drawing her lips into a straight line Gabrielle glared back, she was about to speak again when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Callisto, I will be there in a moment, do not be short with someone who is merely the messenger." Xena said in a cold voice, "You may go now, thank you..."

Gabrielle stared at Xena, the older woman's expression was neutral. Her life was safe, at least for now. Smiling slightly Gabrielle turned to head off to the feasting tent, satisfied with how she was handling the new Xena.

xxx

Catching up to her sister as soon as she made it into the tent, Gabrielle wrapped the younger girl up in her arms before she'd even seen her approaching.

"G-Gabrielle! Where did you come from?" Lila gasped before wrapping her own arms tightly around her sister's torso.

"Sorry... I would have come to you first but the Conqueror wanted to see me as soon as I was up." Lila nodded, she was just relieved her sister was still breathing. The dark haired girl reached out and gently stroked her sister's temple, her lips pulling down into a soft frown.

"This is bruised pretty bad... She has to be pretty powerful to do this from just a simple punch, you're lucky Gabby..."

"I know, and she is powerful Lila. Or she wouldn't be the Conqueror, she's not so bad though... As long as you follow her rules, as long as we keep our heads down and do what we're told I'm sure we'll be fine..."

"What, like mom?" Lila snapped, she turned away from the blonde, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.

"That wasn't her Lila, that was Ares and Draco!" Gabrielle whispered harshly, her voice cracking as she tried to keep her composure. She had been trying to not think about the fate of her parent's since waking up this morning. She had hoped it had been a bad dream and that her fight with Hector had not involved that part of the conversation at all.

"If she was good... She would release us and not make us into slaves." Lila responded, her voice cold. She picked up the platter that had just been placed in front of them to deliver it to a waiting table of soldiers.

Gabrielle watched her sister's retreating form with a firmly set jaw, she grabbed her own platter and headed off to deliver it to another table of hungry men.

xxx

Xena sat drumming her fingers against the hard wood table before her, boredom written across every inch of her face. The war meeting was being run perfectly fine without her, Ares was organizing everything and the only one who seemed to care about her input was Borias but he too was usually pushed out of the conversation.

Feeling her skin crawl the warrior's eyes scanned the room, she took notice to a new set of eyes in the far corner of the tent.

Alti stood just in the shadows, an eerie smirk pulling at her lips as she looked the Conqueror over in an almost seductive manner. Feeling her stomach churn the Conqueror slammed her arm down on the table a little louder than she had intended to, the others had now turned their attention to her.

Shrugging it off the woman rose from the table and to her full height, "Well, since it sounds like you all have this sorted out... I'm guessing you won't mind if I go and grab some breakfast?" She asked as innocently as she could.

Standing taller than every man in the tent and sporting armor and a large sword she was far from the meaning of the word. She flashed her beautiful smile for good measure before making her way to the front of the tent. Her skin crawling again as she moved passed the seer.

Ares crossed his arms over his leather vest in agitation, "What was that all about?"

Alti approached the table then, the edges of her lips pulling into exaggerated smile. "She knows something we don't..."

Ares rolled his eyes, "That isn't Xena's style. She's no fool, Alti. She may rebel against me at times but she remembers that I am a God, the only God left in Greece for that matter." Alti's eyes narrowed at his statement but she said nothing to argue, she did however cluck her tongue at him.

"Come now Ares, I know you don't have me here for my good looks... You have me here for my abilities and you should trust me when I say she knows something we don't."

Giving a look of agreement Ares then shifted his attention to Callisto who was currently glaring daggers at the witch doctor, "What? I don't like this bitch but I think she may have a point. Something smells like fish. If that little blonde brat you were looking for was in the village you idiots torched then it's your own fault. You practically brought her in here on a fucking chariot. And how do you not remember this bitches name? You claim to have remade the world so that we can succeed and yet you seem to know no more than we do... Pretty pathetic for a God."

Borias sighed at the squabbling that had erupted in the tent and excused himself quietly before following Xena's lead and heading for the feasting tent.

Alti watched as the other generals rose then as well, not caring to listen to Callisto's shrill screams as she and Ares argued, the witch turned back to the two and watched with mild amusement the argument she had started.

xxx

Xena sat at her regular table, she had found Gabrielle as soon as she had reached the tent and had been following her with her eyes ever since. The small woman looked a little odd with the full leathers on as she tended to serving soldiers their food, that could be a problem.

She could tell that Alti was already on to her, how she wasn't sure how but the seer was good. The Conqueror was snapped from her thoughts as Borias took a seat next to her, shaking his head as he did.

"You sure left at a good time... That Callisto sounds like a cat being murdered."

Xena grinned slightly, "I take it they'll be a while then?"

Borias nodded and signaled for wine, he made sure that it was Gabrielle delivering it.

Glancing quickly towards the glaring Xena the brown haired man then turned his attention back to the young blonde. "Why hello there, glad to see those leathers on a more respectable form..." He said with a wink as he gave her the once over, Xena's eyes narrowed further.

Gabrielle smiled at Borias, "It was very kind of the Conqueror to gift me these leathers..."

"You earned them, they were not a gift." Xena cut in, her tone was serious. She finally raised her eyes to meet the emerald ones watching her, the smaller woman dipped her head.

"They are still well received, thank you Conqueror."

Xena nodded her head, her expression softening slightly. Borias watched the exchange with knowing eyes, he smiled and nodded his head to Gabrielle as she turned to leave. "They're on to you, you know... She's in danger, if she is the one they're looking for that is."

Xena breathed in deeply, her eyes fluttering closed as she attempted to keep calm. "She is. I'm sure of it." She whispered softly so that he almost didn't catch it, "I have a plan on how to hide her, at least for now."

"I would think you would want to stop her, if she can make that prophecy come true..." Borias responded, watching his reflection distort in the rippling of his wine.

"They say the more you fight your fate... The faster it comes to fruition, no matter what I do it has been out of my hands. All of it, since the day I was brought into this world." Xena said as she rose from the table, one of the newer servants scurrying over to pick up her empty plate.

Borias watched as the conqueror left the tent, her cape flowing out behind her. He shook his head, as if the woman didn't have enough to worry about with Caesar taunting her from Rome. Now she had to deal with the idiots trying to sabotage her here.

xxx

Gabrielle and Lila were helping clean up after the morning meal when Leah stood up quickly and rushed to the front of the tent. The brunette was talking to a very tall and very beautiful blonde in Amazonian attire. The taller woman glanced over towards them before actually approaching, she nodded to Gabrielle. "You are to come with us, you may visit your sister later."

Glancing to Lila, Gabrielle rose to follow Leah and the other blonde out, "Bye, I'll find you later, I promise."

The younger woman remained quiet as the two women ahead of her were talking in hushed whispers. After several moments they finally veered off to the right of Xena's tent and past several more before stopping at a rather large and long tent.

The taller blonde turned to face Gabrielle, her serious features from before seemed much more relaxed now that they were out of the feasting tent.

"It's good to meet you, I am Cyane."

Gabrielle's eyes widened at the name, this beautiful and tall warrior was none other than the legendary Queen of the Amazons.

Cyane cocked her head to one side, a smirk tugging at her lips. "You look like you've seen a ghost..." Leah whispered in confusion, Gabrielle shook her head.

"No... I've just, heard a lot about you... I wanted study in Athens to be a bard, so whenever people would come through my village I would try to get a story out of them."

Cyane tilted her head back in a knowing matter, her mouth opening slightly as she nodded.

"Ah, I see. Well, there's someone in here that has been dying to meet you. And I think you'll be very interested to hear what she has to say, little bard." Cyane said with a smile before pulling back the tent flap, the smaller blonde dipped her head under the taller woman's arm and before she could get a good look around she felt someone practically tackling her.

"GABRIELLE!"

"Y-Yakut?" Gabrielle gasped as she tried to push a deer antler out of her cheek, the small seer backed off a little. A sheepish grin written all over her face as she tried to contain her obvious excitement, Leah nodded.

"So it is her."

"Yes, it is definitely her. Oh, Gabrielle... This is so wonderful! I'm still in training you see and well, I had this vision! And at first I didn't even believe it but then the visions kept coming, faster and more clearly. I felt as if I really knew you and... Knew Xena, not as the Conqueror but as the Warrior Princess!"

Gabrielle could feel the tears starting to sting at her eyes as she tried to contain her own joy, finally someone familiar in this haze of people who looked the same but were very different from the world she knew.

"So I'm guessing that's how you actually knew me, isn't it?" Cyane asked, one hand on her leather clad hip. The bard looked down slightly, suddenly feeling warm under the careful eye of such a well known Queen.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I wouldn't normally lie but given the situation I'm sure you understand?" Gabrielle asked, her expression serious.

Cyrene smiled at her, "Of course, actually I commend you for remaining silent on the subject. Now, I hate to be so serious when we're just meeting but we have to get some things accomplished today... Yakut tells me someone is helping you, hiding your identity at least for now... She 'listened in' the day that Ares had Xena go to to seer but there was another there. A shaman, she touched the old man after Xena left and got more information from him. They know that you're a blonde with long hair and a sister. Luckily for you there were several girls that matched that description from your village, now that you're with us you'll be a little more hidden. It's rare that we open up our community anymore and Xena is known to be very protective over her Amazons. No one messes with us, not even Ares."

"So it's time to give you an Amazonian makeover!" Leah chimed in finally with a chuckle, Cyane nodded.

xxx

"Xenaa."

"Come in Borias, what is it?"

The tall warrior lowered his eyes for a second before bringing them back up to face the conqueror, "There is word of Caesar taking some of our conquests to the north, he sent a small group of villagers from one of them with a nearly dead soldier we had posted there."

"Where is he now?"

"The infirmary tent... He's not looking too good Xenaa... You might want to talk to him before death claims him."

Standing to her full height the conqueror walked passed her general, her jaw set tight at the thought of Caesar taking what she'd worked so hard to earn. Not only were these territories hers but the people to the north were mostly peaceful, hence the armed men she'd left behind to protect them.

Moving quickly through the camp the Conqueror ignored the whispers around her, the whole camp must have figured out what was happening or someone leaked the information.

Shaking her head and trying to keep her temper at a low simmer, the woman pushed open the flap to the infirmary tent and immediately made her way over to the injured soldier.

She could tell he was struggling to keep his eyes open but he made his best attempt to focus on her face, "C-Conqueror... They came too quickly and too strong for us to stop them... Caesar himself was there to organize his men... He then preached to the villagers that his destiny was too strong for you to overcome and that it was in their best interest to... To be on the winning side..."

Xena's brow furrowed, she remembered a younger Caesar telling her something similar. That his destiny to rule was stronger than anything and he would destroy anything that got in his way. "Did he mention where he might go next or anything about a next move?"

The soldier nodded weakly, "He said I was to tell you that he will take it all... I'm sorry Conqueror... We failed you..." Xena shook her head and placed a hand over his, a gentle smile capturing her lips for the briefest of seconds. She knew this man would not make it through the night. The least she could do was let him pass with some sense of peace, no matter how small.

"No, you did your jobs well... Even if the town turned alliances they did it for survival and you protected them as best you could. I'm sorry we weren't there to assist you all." She said, standing from his bedside she looked to her physician who sat stoney faced nearby.

"Give him the strongest herbal concoction you can make with our supplies and I will have someone bring him a good meal to eat with it."

"But Conqueror... He will not live to see the morning..."

"Then let him die a comfortable and well fed man, he has earned it." Xena argued, her voice firm as she turned to exit.

xxx

It had been over four candle marks since the Amazons had decided to give Gabrielle a makeover, she watched through exasperated eyes as they squabbled over her leathers. The women couldn't agree on one design or which colors to use on the blonde's leathers and she was quite frankly over the discussion.

"Hey, girls... Really, it isn't that big of a deal. I think we should just go with Yakut's original idea and just base them off of the first leathers I received in the other world... We can help and make sure that the markings and the colors are correct, it would be very special for me if we'd do it that way too." She asked as gently as she could, one of the arguing Amazons looked up for a moment her brows furrowed.

"But that's so boring! And based off of what the two of you were saying so was the taste of those Amazons! I mean c'mon! The colors were so bland, they were no where near the brilliance of your aura. Certainly not fitting for an Amazonian Queen."

Before Gabrielle could respond Cyane re-entered the tent and having just caught the tail end of the conversation she gave her Amazon's a very unamused scowl, "You still haven't decided on her leathers? Gods... Just listen to what Gabrielle wants and don't ask anymore questions, you're acting like a bunch of rich breeding women..." She snapped before rubbing the back of her neck, "The others returned from patrol not too long ago, apparently the Conqueror received some bad news about the Northern territories... Caesar is on the move, so let's worry less about the clothing and more about the disguise for our friend here. Xena put her trust in us and we're acting like a bunch of children."

Leah nodded feeling a little shameful for having been part of the disagreement, "I'm sure Ephiny and the others are tired as well, they'll most likely want quiet."

Gabrielle glanced towards the brunette, her eyes wide, "Ephiny?"

Leah nodded, "Yes, the Amazons that serve under Xena are not just of one tribe Gabrielle. They're of any of the existing ones that Ares had hoped to destroy, what's left of them anyway. There were some casualties but it's thanks to the Conqueror that we still exist at all. The two tribes you see in this encampment are the most loyal and the most able bodied. Any elderly, non fighter or child was left back in Corinth with the bulk of the Conqueror's army."

Cyane nodded, "Yes, now let's get back to these leathers, shall we? I'm guessing you've all decided to let Ephiny handle Gabrielle's hair?" The other women nodded in agreement without a word, "Good. Glad to hear it."

xxx

Gabrielle watched as three of the women worked on her leathers and an extremely quick pace, once they had agreed on the design the rest seemed to come easy to them.

Another two were busy working on new boots for her that were the same color as the base for her leather bustier and loin cloth. Two more women were busy working on the matching leather bracers and arm cuffs, she had received these leathers before but she hadn't seen them being created.

A small Amazon entered the tent holding a thin and beautifully colored semi sheer purple fabric, "Does this look right?" She asked as she knelt down next to Gabrielle so that the bard could examine it more closely, Gabrielle nodded with a smile.

"It's almost exactly the same! You are all truly incredible, it's really neat to watch you work."

"Thank you." The girl said with a smile, "Don't worry, we'll make sure to get your leathers as close to your original one as mortally possible."

With that the young woman rose and went to the flap of the tent but instead of just exiting she held the flap open, Gabrielle felt her pulse quicken as her eyes fell upon the face of an old friend.

But she could tell even though this woman was the same as her old friend, her eyes held no real recognition for the bard.

"Hello, you must be Gabrielle. It's good to meet you, I'm..."

"Ephiny."

"Yes," Ephiny said, flashing a wide smile as her brows lifted up under her curls. "Yakut said you'd know me, she said we were good friend's in another life."

"Yes, we were. Very good friends, you showed me the ropes when I first became an Amazon." Gabrielle said, her smile widening as he offered her arm for the Amazonian handshake, Ephiny grasped her arm firmly just below her elbow. The two shook each others arms in a warm gesture, "Maybe this time you can just offer me some help with my hair?"

"I certainly can, Yakut has already instructed me on the style..."

Gabrielle watched as Ephiny gathered her supplies, although this was not the same Ephiny she'd known. She also knew that she and Ephiny had grown close very quickly and that the same would most likely happen in this new life as well. Smiling at the thought, Gabrielle looked around the tent at her new Amazon friends and felt quite content with how the evening was ending.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a little over a moon since Gabrielle had joined the Amazons, they had begun to travel again the day after her leathers had started but had stopped almost instantly.

The incoming news of new attacks by Caesar's men had caused a drastic change in the Conqueror, she had beaten one of her men within an inch of his life before instructing the camp be set back up and retreating to her tent.

She had only been seen by Cyane and a few other close servants who had given her food, drink and news from the outside world.

In the meantime Gabrielle had wasted no time relearning her techniques as an Amazon, her body had hardened over the month due to her rigorous training and strict diet.

Still being no where near the physique from the other world Gabrielle continued to train almost every chance she could get. She went hunting and fishing for every meal, mostly with Ephiny or Leah.

She was currently basking on the side of a river, her chest still heaving from the jog she'd just done back and forth on the bank.

"Don't overdue it... You've already improved your figure tenfold since we met." Ephiny said as she plopped down next to the bard, Gabrielle shook her head. A small bead of sweat rolling down from her brow before sliding from the tip of her nose to fall some where on her leathers below.

"I have to... The more time that passes the stronger I have to be for this to work... I only have two moons left before my cover is completely blown, if it isn't before then."

Ephiny watched her carefully, "I'm sorry... I wish we could do more for you, I feel like there's so much you have been burdened with and even with us knowing and here to help... We all feel very helpless about the situation. Especially with how the Conqueror has been lately... Not even Cyane can reach her and she's the only one who knows how."

"I know how." Gabrielle argued, her voice becoming a little more defensive than she meant it to.

Ephiny frowned slightly, "The old Xena maybe... But you still don't know this one."

Glaring at her friend the bard set her jaw tightly before forcing herself up from the sandy bank, "You don't understand. None of you do, the connection we had... It was beyond us. Beyond anything anyone had seen, even Ares could not bend it with all of his Godly powers. Why do you think he had to do this?" She exclaimed spreading her arms to gesture at everything around her, Ephiny could only watch as the smaller blonde turned and headed back for camp; her steps heavy with frustration.

xxx

Gabrielle had barely made it back into the Amazon's tent before she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking it off roughly she turned to see a stony faced Cyane.

"What?" The bard asked in an annoyed voice, Cyane looked a little taken back by the smaller woman's tone but she shook it off quickly.

"The Conqueror wishes to see you... In fact, she said you're the only one she wants to speak to."

Gabrielle's brows raised at this and her expression softened considerably. "Alright... Thank you. And I'm sorry about that, I'm just a little stressed."

Cyane nodded knowingly before watching the bard head for the flap of the tent, "Be careful. She's in an odd way right now and she's had quite a bit to drink tonight. She'll most likely antagonize you..."

Gabrielle nodded with a sad smile before disappearing into the evening beyond the tent, her feet carrying her quickly to the Conqueror's temporary dwelling.

The bard was about to speak up when a morose voice called out from within, "Come in."

Lifting the flap aside with her forearm, the blonde took in the large sitting area just inside. The table was covered in maps and other parchment which all lay in disarray.

The sleeping portion of the tent was no longer obscured from view, the dividing curtains had been tied back and allowed just enough light from the main area for the bed to be seen. Xena sat on the bed, her pale eyes seeming to glow as the candle light danced off of them.

"Long time, no see..." The Conqueror said in a voice barely above a whisper, she looked the smaller woman up and down.

The Amazons had done a wonderful job on her little secret. The once long hair had been cropped short, her bangs fell just above her eyebrows and it was cut significantly shorter in the back.

More of her body was exposed in the new leathers they had made, the bustier allowed a very pleasant view of a taunt, toned stomach. And the bracers and arm cuffs accentuated her now muscular and tan arms.

"Yes, it has been quite a while. I hear you've been busy..." Gabrielle allowed her voice to trail off as Xena's eyes flew up to meet hers, they narrowed at the mentioning at the recent events. Biting her tongue the blonde decided on a different tactic, "I've been busy myself as I'm sure you can tell."

"I most certainly can." Xena replied almost instantly, her voice a low sultry purr. Gabrielle felt a shiver roll down her spine as the dark haired woman rose from her bed and moved gracefully towards her.

"I'm glad to see that bruise healed nicely..." The Conqueror whispered, her eyes half lidded as she watched the blonde's lips part slightly at her touch. She ran the back of her hand gently from the other woman's temple down to her jawline, the pale eyes then moved lower, getting a closer look at the now tanned skin.

The Amazons had definitely done well with this one, far above the Conqueror's expectations.

Yes the girl had come into the Conqueror's care in decent shape, she had been average for a farmer's daughter. But she knew judging by the girl's fair skin when they'd met that she didn't work the fields often or even at all.

Now it was obvious she was outside almost constantly and the Conqueror loved the contrast of her own now pale skin against the bronzed flesh of the smaller woman standing before her. Something about this woman felt familiar, it felt... Safe. And Xena couldn't remember the last time she could say she felt anything similar when it came to another human being.

Gabrielle could see the Conqueror bringing her face closer to her neck but she made no move to stop the taller woman, a small moan escaped the bard as she felt the hot breath and soft lips just below her ear.

Feeling the other woman submitting Xena's eyes fluttered closed, she pulled the woman's body closer to her own. Her hands moving slowly up the blonde's stomach towards her chest, nails dragging softly on the way up. Gabrielle was beginning to lose herself in the familiar touch of her old lover, she felt all self control slipping away as her lower stomach began to react to the Conqueror's advances.

Xena shifted their position so that Gabrielle's back was now facing the bed, backing the smaller woman until her legs bumped the mattress.

The two bodies fell onto the dark silk sheets, the Conqueror's hand roving even further north to grab at the edge of the blonde's top. Gabrielle's eyes were shut tight, her lips still barely parted as she held her breath. Waiting for the coolness of the Conqueror's hands to continue their conquest over her warm flesh.

"Gabrielle..."

Suddenly the blonde's eyes flew open, the voice who had uttered her name was Xena's but it wasn't the voice of the woman attached to her neck. Feeling guilt sink to the pit of her stomach the blonde placed her hands firmly on the Conqueror's shoulders. "Please, I can't... I'm sorry."

Xena's eyes flew open and she quickly removed herself from the bed and made her back out into the main room, she stood silently by the desk. Gabrielle watched the other woman's back for several tense minutes before the Conqueror finally broke the silence.

"I sent someone to look into the fate of your village... And I regret to inform you that the rumors were true." Xena said in a low emotionless voice, as she spoke she turned to face the blonde. Dangling from her hand was the small bag of peppermint that Gabrielle had been captured with, a smile slid slowly across the Conqueror's lips as the bard's eyes widened.

"Ah... So this does have some meaning to you..." She whispered, taking a leaf from the bag before continuing, " I do not know who you are or what your intentions are. I've seen you do things that shouldn't be possible given your background. And yet my instincts scream for me to trust you..."

Xena threw the small pouch to Gabrielle, her eyes hardening as she stared the other woman down. "And my instincts... Have never been wrong. Leave. Now." She said, her voice growing more harsh towards the end, Gabrielle rose quickly giving Xena one more look before exiting the tent.

She could swear she saw sadness flicker through the icy eyes of the Conqueror but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

xxx

"What good are you if you can't tell me who it is that I'm looking for?" Ares cried, his temper flaring as Alti regarded him with a bored expression.

"Elkton must be going senile... I couldn't get a good look at the girls face, I know that she's blonde..."

"We know that already." Callisto said with a chuckle, she shook her head as Ares fumed in silence. "Did you really need to eat the geezer's heart to get that?"

Alti wiped some of the blood from her chin with the back of her hand, "Don't talk to me like I wanted to do it... I prefer my hearts to be those of young women... They're not so tough." She said pointedly lowering her eyes to Callisto's chest, the blonde snarled slightly before biting one of her nails and turning away.

"I think that the old man was seeing this fully... In truth Ares. But someone is blocking not only my powers but your own as well, hopefully in time the haze over her true identity will clear... I only have one request regarding this young woman we're seeking..." Alti said, her lips pulling into an absolutely evil grin.

Ares nodded, "Yes Alti... You may eat her heart if it so pleases you but I want results as soon as possible, the longer we wait the more chances my plan has to fail." Ares said his temper dissipating somewhat, "I'd also like to know who the fuck is blocking me, the God of War? Find this out as well, and I will cut their heart out for you to consume."

xxx

Gabrielle had barely slept the night before and it was beginning to show, Xena had her army break camp as soon as the sun had broken past the horizon. The sun was now high over heads of the soldiers and servants that made up the convoy.

The bard had fallen behind most of the other Amazon's her thick wooden mask causing sweat to drench not only her hair but her chest and back as well.

She could make out the Conqueror's litter to her right, four young and muscular men were transporting the Conqueror to their next campsite.

Gabrielle shook her head at the thought of her Xena seeing herself currently, the Xena in this life had grown pale and dare she say it... Lazy. She barely ran her army, the fault of which mostly fell upon Ares' almost constant presence.

Gabrielle had not once seen the woman training with her men and the only time she'd heard of the Conqueror doing something with them was the day that the girls of Potidaea had been brought into her care. Not wanting to dwell on the dark haired beauty for too long the bard's eyes soon wandered to some of the newer faces around her.

There were plenty of slaves and warriors that she had not met surrounding her now that she'd fallen back from the group. Her eyes widened as they fell upon a very familiar face of a tanned skin, wavy blonde haired man. Her heart skipped a beat as she attempted to get a better view to verify her discovery but between the mask and the throng of people separating them she was unsuccessful. She looked up and felt all excitement flee from her body as she realized this slave belonged to none other than Callisto.

The crazy blond was seated on a rather large black stallion, three men were chained to a large cuff that barely seemed to fit on her skinny arm. Although Gabrielle realized the men probably could have easily pulled the much smaller woman from the horse, she also knew that anyone familiar with Callisto typically went out of their way not to cross her.

Callisto stiffened slightly as she felt someone's eyes following her every move, she turned to her left; her eyes scanning the convoy as she did.

Her eyes stopped when they fell upon a single Amazon marching along much further back than the others, her eyes narrowed at this but she said nothing and returned to facing forward.

Gabrielle quickly moved back to the front of the convoy after the stare down with Callisto, Leah pulled her closer to the front. "Where were you?" She asked in a worried tone, Gabrielle shook her head.

"Sorry... I had trouble sleeping last night, I must have lost track of where I was."

Leah sighed but nodded, "Just please be careful Gabrielle... There are more enemies to the Amazon's in this convoy than there are allies."

Gabrielle nodded, her eyes moved away from Leah's for a moment before returning, "Do you know any of Callisto's slaves?"

The brunette nearly stopped in her tracks, she grabbed Gabrielle's arm and leaned in closer to the bard. "Do not interfere with anything of Callisto's, she would kill you without hesitation."

The bard chewed casually on her lip below her mask, "I was just curious, don't worry Leah, I don't have a death wish." The blonde said, she was smiling beneath the mask but she knew it wasn't a very comforting gesture to give the other woman.

Leah sighed again, she knew how stubborn Gabrielle could be. And she definitely knew if she had any intention of pushing the subject further she would be sure no one else knew about it until after she had what she wanted.

xxx

Not long after the convoy reached their next camp site Gabrielle was sent out to scout ahead, when she returned to the camp she separated from her group.

"Gabrielle, aren't you hungry?" Ephiny asked stopping not far from the feasting tent, Gabrielle shook her head at her friend.

"Actually... I'm not feeling too well, I think I'm going to go lay down for a little before I try to eat. Have fun you guys!" She said, waving at her friends before turning and making her way deeper into the camp.

Moving in the opposite direction of the Conqueror's tent hoping to find Callisto's somewhere amid all of the soldier's smaller tents. Just when she was beginning to grow frustrated the small blonde heard a shrill scream that for once in her existence actually brought a smile to her face.

Sliding behind a cart she watched as Callisto stormed out of her tent followed shortly after by Draco. The two were in the middle of a rather heated debate and not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Gabrielle scurried forward and into the tent.

The bard let out a small squeak as she found herself face to face with the man she was looking for, "Iolaus!"

"Do I know you?" The short man asked in a rushed whisper, Gabrielle paused for a moment before responding.

"No, but I know you. You traveled with Hercules, didn't you?" The bard whispered back, if at all possible the bronze skin of Iolaus' face turned as white as a sheet.

"You have to go... Callisto will kill you if she finds you here."

"Iolaus... Please, what happened to Hercules? If you tell me, I will leave and you'll never see me again." The bard whispered again, more urgency in her voice this time.

The blonde man sighed heavily before looking up again, "He's dead, Ares and the Conqueror killed him. Now please, go."

Gabrielle felt her heart sink at the news, if there was one person who could have been a great deal of help to her journey, it was Hercules.

Lowering her eyes and backing out slowly, "Thank you..." She whispered before disappearing back into the deserted camp, Iolaus turned away from the flap of the tent his shoulders slumping.

It had been many moons since he'd thought about his old friend and traveling companion. And this mysterious woman had just ripped the wounds back open. His arms and back were littered with long scars and small puncture marks, being Callisto's slave had not been easy on the once sturdy man.

Although still fairly muscular the man's body and expressions seemed frail and listless. He could hear Callisto's angry screeches growing closer as she returned to her tent, "SLAVE!" The woman cried out as she threw back the tents flap, she slashed him across the face with her long nails.

Iolaus lowered his eyes, "Yes mistress?" He asked with barely a trembling lip, the brown eyes of the angry warlord narrowed.

"Why didn't you tell me Draco was approaching earlier? That scum is never to step foot in my tent again, are we clear?" She snarled, the man nodded, his jaw set tight.

"Yes mistress, my apologies."

"Fetch me my Scourge slave... I believe fifty lashes will encourage you to remember."

xxx

Gabrielle opened her eyes quickly, her body jolting as she felt cold beneath her feet; she glanced around an oddly vivid dream scape. Having lost her appetite after speaking with Iolaus the bard had done exactly what she'd told Ephiny she was going to do. She couldn't quite remember falling asleep but she was positive she was no longer awake.

She could feel a breeze blowing through the empty halls as she moved further down them, the once beautiful granite walls crumbling with each step she took. She felt a strange familiarity about this place but could not quite place it. Several minutes passed before the bard found herself in a large open hall and suddenly she realized where she was, "Olympus..." She whispered softly, she turned and looked around the once glorious hall of the Gods.

The blonde jumped suddenly as a loud sob echoed through the empty halls, she followed the sounds through Mt Olympus until she came to a set of stairs leading down deeper into the mountain.

Just as Gabrielle was beginning to think that the stairs were endless she found the bottom and immediately in front of her was a short hallway leading down to a pedestal.

A stream of light fell down from the ceiling and shining in the middle of the light was the black urn that had contained Xena's ashes in Japan. Gabrielle moved forward as if in a trance, her eyes locked upon the urn yet as she walked the hallway seemed to remain unchanged.

"This urn contains what you need to restore your lover's memories... However, if you have not warmed her cold heart... Then it will be useless." A familiar voice whispered, the voice seemed to carry and echo through the cold granite chambers and halls.

Before Gabrielle could respond a second voice similar to the first chimed in, "There are other things you seek... Are there not Gabrielle?"

This voice was softer and deeper than the first, the bard's brows furrowed not understanding the question. Her emerald eyes widened as the room in front of her shifted to what appeared to be a dungeon, the beautiful granite was now a dark grey with flecks and swirls of black.

Two figures were chained to opposite walls by their wrists, their bodies slumped forward and obscuring their faces from view. But Gabrielle didn't need to see their faces to know their identities.

"Aphrodite and Hercules!" She gasped, she stared at the poor state the two were in.

Aphrodite's beautiful sheer outfit was in tatters, and there were bruises and thin scrapes up both arms. Hercules was in far worse condition, there were scars and the remnants of bruising over every inch of his exposed flesh, the only clothing he still wore was the tattered remains of his reddish brown pants.

Then as suddenly as the room had appeared, it faded into darkness. The hallway was quickly growing shorter and falling into pieces, Gabrielle feared she would fall but she remained suspended where she was.

"All that you seek... Lies here."

Gabrielle sat up straight, her body drenched in sweat. She could hear laughing outside of the tent and soon found the other occupants filing in from outside. A rush of cool air hit the bard, bringing forth a sigh of relief. Leah and Ephiny made their way over to her, worry written on their faces.

"You really aren't feeling well, are you?" Ephiny asked gently as she leaned down and placed the back of her hand against Gabrielle's forehead, the bard chuckled gently.

"I'm actually feeling much better... I just had a rather strange dream, that's all."

Leah grinned at Ephiny, "See? I told you a nap would do her some good! Here we brought you dinner."

"Yeah, we know how you are... Skipping a meal just isn't your style. We tried to get you a little of everything that was left."

The bard smiled and was glad to be in the company of her friends but the dream was still fresh in her mind and she had every intention to act on the instincts that were beginning to kick in. As soon as the others were asleep she would make her move, she needed to speak with the Conqueror.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been several days since her dream but Gabrielle had been a woman of action ever since that night, sneaking small amounts of food and tools she'd need for the trip she was planning to make. 

She was currently on her way back to camp after being out on patrol. The convoys movements had put her a little closer to her destination but it would still be a long journey and she couldn't wait too much longer to leave. 

She felt her heart sink at the thought of leaving her friends behind, she didn't know what was going to happen from here on out. Then again, she hadn't known how any of it was going to play out in the first place. 

Sighing the blonde drug her feet a little as she meandered through the many tents and carts, she only looked up again once she found herself back at the Amazon tent.

Gabrielle had barely gotten inside when Cyane approached with Yakut, the two of them looking more serious than usual. "Gabrielle, we need to speak with you."

Yakut looked to Cyane nervously before chiming in as well, "We know what you're planning."

"We also understand why you want to do it but you will need help. You'll also need the Conqueror's permission to leave." Cyane said placing a hand on the shorter woman's shoulder with a smile, Gabrielle felt a smile her own creep onto her face.

"You should have included us to begin with, you could have gathered supplies much more efficiently with our help." The Amazonian Queen added, her voice a little more firm now.

Yakut nodded, "But to show that there aren't any hard feelings... We took the liberty of getting you these!" The teen reached into her three sizes too large deer skin leathers, Gabrielle gasped as the small seer pulled out two sais.

"Hopefully you can trust us for the future?" Cyane asked, her eyes a little sad. The bard looked up with glossy eyes, her hands wrapped tightly around her new weapons.

"I'm sorry... I just thought that you all might try to stop me given how dangerous it could get. But I need to do this, not only for this cause but for myself. Xena can't always be there to protect me... Sometimes I have to be the one to do what needs to be done."

Cyane nodded, she understood perfectly but she wanted to make sure the smaller woman understood her point of view as well.

"I can respect that. But you could also use assistance from us, we're you're sisters, Gabrielle. And to my judgement... If what ever God is helping you thinks Yakut should see the visions... Then maybe we're supposed to help you."

Yakut nodded but didn't say anything as she allowed Gabrielle to digest Cyane's words, the bard nodded and held the weapons close to her heart.

"I promise I'll let you all know as soon as I have an idea next time, I'm so sorry for not saying something sooner..."

Cyane smiled warmly, her hand gave a small squeeze before releasing Gabrielle's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, just keep it in mind for the future... Now, I believe you should freshen up. I took the liberty of telling the conqueror that you'd be stopping in to see her."

Gabrielle's eyes rose slowly, the older woman instantly took in the fear and sadness. "Don't worry, she isn't mad at you. She was just hurt."

"You talked to her?"

"No but I didn't have to. She and I were... Involved shortly after we met but we realized that there was something missing, although we were decent together. She is very afraid of rejection and she is quite fond of you... Just be gentle with her."

Gabrielle nodded, her eyes lowering as her cheeks turned a little pink. She should have known that there had been something between Cyane and Xena... It was obvious in the way the two interacted that they were close. And despite the knowledge that it was over between them, she still felt her stomach twisting with jealousy.

She gave one last smile before excusing herself, placing her sais by her bedroll before grabbing a more casual pair of leathers. 

The top was a little longer than her normal leathers, consisting of different shades of burnt orange and other rustic colors. 

Small beads hung around the trim of the top, the strands hanging a little lower down with each one leading into the center of her stomach. And the skirt was considerably longer than her usual attire, the thick beaded belt began just below her belly button to fall down in a 'v' ending at her groin. Three thick strips of brown fabric hung in the middle going to about mid thigh, and a semi sheer orange skirt fell to about the same length as the brown fabric.

xxx

Laying her clothing down gently on a rock, Gabrielle stripped and stepped into the cool stream. 

The water slowly began to sooth her wild emotions but by the end of her short bath, she still felt on edge.

She sighed as she dried herself off, "Looks like I'll be training with my new sais tonight..." Hoping silently to herself that the training would calm her more. She slowly pulled her fresh outfit on, lingering a few minutes after dressing to watch the stream.

The walk back to the camp seemed to pass by in a blur, the bard returned her clothing to the amazon tent which she was relieved to find empty.

She made her way quickly back through the camp, heading directly towards the Conqueror's tent despite the empty feeling in her stomach. 

She pushed her hunger aside as she tried to prepare herself for the approaching conversation with the Conqueror, the tent coming into view Gabrielle stopped for a moment. 

Pressing herself against the fabric of the nearest tent and pressed her palms against her eyelids, she let out a huge sigh before smoothing out her skirt and hair.

The bard stopped just short of Xena's temporary dwelling, her eyes on the flap but her body had frozen as soon as she'd stepped before the entrance. She was about to force herself to move when Leah came out of the tent, her arms full of trays. "Oh! Gabrielle, I'm sorry... I didn't realize you were out here!" The brunette exclaimed as she came to an   
abrupt stop, the blonde smiled and helped her friend adjust the contents of her arms.

The brunette thanked her and then hurried off with a wink, Gabrielle looked after her in confusion before ducking her head into the tent cautiously. She was surprised to find that it was empty, or seemed to be at first glance. The desk that was usually littered with scrolls and maps had been cleared and set... Like a table.

Brows furrowed, Gabrielle looked around cautiously. Her eyes widened as she suddenly heard movement from behind the tent wall across from her. Moving just up to the fabric and squinting one eye she could barely make out what appeared to be a wash room. 

The blonde's cheeks flushed slightly as she made out the form of an obviously naked Xena through the thick fabric. Backing away from the wall the blonde made her way over to one of two chairs not set up by the table.

Several minutes passed in silence before Xena finally emerged from her bathing room, her pale eyes widened slightly as they fell on Gabrielle.

"My apologies, I wasn't expecting you so soon." The conquer said in a surprisingly soft voice, her long hair was still wet and was tied back and off to her right side in a loose ponytail. 

Gabrielle was struggling to ignore that the older woman was dressed in nothing more than a dark purple towel, her chest was well covered but the bottom of the towel barely covered the tops of her thighs.

"It's not a problem... I could come back if you'd like. I was merely stopping by to ask you a question. But it can wait."

A dark, slender brow arched up before becoming obscured by Xena's equally dark bangs. "You only came here to ask something of me? I was rather hoping that you'd stay..." She said, her voice dropping off as her eyes moved casually over to the neatly set table.

Gabrielle's eyes followed and she could feel the heat beginning to grow on her cheeks as realization dawned on her, "Oh, yes. Of course I can stay, Conqueror."

Xena's eyes lit up considerably, and a bright smile pulled at her lips as she turned to head into her sleeping area.

"Call me by my name, Gabrielle."

The bard felt a chill roll down her spine as the dark haired beauty said her name and she had to fight down the urge to stare as the other woman changed just several feet away.

xxx

"Will you join me?" Xena asked several moments later as she made her way over to the table, Gabrielle looked up and felt the air flee from her lungs.

Xena looked stunning, her hair was the same but the black dress she wore was absolutely gorgeous. 

It was low in the front, exposing an ample amount of flesh but leaving enough to the imagination to still be tasteful. The dress dipped even lower in the back, stopping just at the curve of the spine before lacing up to mid back. The lacing ended just before the upper back and left the shoulder blades and base of the neck fully exposed.

The dress clung to the warrior's toned body before flowing out a little wider just after it passed the wide swell of her hips, it continued down before ending just above the knee. 

Gabrielle also noted that there were two slits along each side, exposing quite a bit of thigh as well. The jewelry the warrior wore were two long earrings, four silver balls were strung down the length of them, growing larger as they descended. In addition she also wore three silver bracelets to each wrist and a thin silver arm band on her right upper arm.

The bard definitely felt under dressed, she rose slowly from her seat before meeting the taller woman at the table. Upon closer inspection the bard could see that Xena had applied a little bit kohl to her eyes as well, she almost smiled at the thought that it had most likely been a gift from Cleopatra.

"You look beautiful." The blonde whispered, her eyes softening considerably as she took her seat across from the most dangerous woman in the known world.

Gabrielle could barely make it out but a slight pink softened the conqueror's features for a moment. It was a short lived moment of weakness however, the older woman quickly regained her composure. Her eyes rising to meet the emerald ones watching her intently.

"Thank you. You're quite beautiful yourself, you know." She said as she poured herself some wine, she offered one to Gabrielle soon after.

"Thank you, Xena."

Smiling again the Conqueror set the wine back on the table, she then nodded towards the many dishes displayed across the table. "I hope there is enough variety here for you... I was told that you really enjoy your food."

Gabrielle choked on the little bit of fish that she had already begun to chew, her cheeks warming very quickly as she glanced back up at the woman across from her.

"And who told you that?"

"It was a pretty common statement actually... And I personally prefer fish, it's great for building muscle... Both in it's consumption and it's capture." She added with a slight wink, Gabrielle shook her head slightly but noticed Xena's attempt to change the subject so she decided to play along.

"Capture? I get the feeling you don't like the normal fishing method then... Too plain for the ruler of the known world?"

"Too plain in general, have you ever caught a fish with your bare hands?"

The bard nibbled on her lip for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I have actually. An old friend taught me..." She said, her voice soft. Xena noticed the shift in attitude and cocked her head to the side slightly.

"I'm sorry...What happened to him?" She asked, her own voice softening.

"She... Passed away."

Xena frowned and wished that the table wasn't so long so that she could comfort the smaller woman, "I'm sorry to hear that..."

"It's fine... It just wasn't all that long ago that I lost her, it is still painful at times to think about her..." Gabrielle said, her eyes exploring the grain of the table as she spoke.   
'Especially when she's staring me right in the face and doesn't know...'

"I had a friend like that, although I lost her about five summers ago... The pain is sill there, it never really goes away. You just have to remember the positive times, the good times. When I met her, I thought I knew everything but she taught me many new things. Both in fighting and in kindness..."

"She taught you how to use pressure points, didn't she?"

The Conqueror's eyes narrowed, her entire demeanor shifting immediately. "How do you know that?" She asked, her voice much colder than before. She watched the emerald eyes lower pointedly to her neck, on the same area that the blonde had used against her about a moon ago.

"Ah, that would explain how you knew... And yes, she did. Up until I met you, other than myself... M'Lila and her mentor were the only ones I knew of to know those moves."  
Gabrielle's expression remained neutral and seeing that the smaller woman was going to say nothing more Xena decided to return her attention back to her food before it went cold. 

Gabrielle was more than happy to follow suit, the meal was finished in silence but Xena had decided it was time to talk.

She pushed her plate aside her right arm supporting her weight as she leaned casually on the table, her left hand playing with the rim of her silver chalice. "You said you had something to ask of me?" She asked in a bored tone, her eyes rising slowly.

"I need to leave the convoy for a while, I may have found something that can aide you..."

Xena's eyes narrowed, "How long?"

Gabrielle averted her eyes, "Almost a moon, if not longer."

"Where in the name of Hades are you going? And what do you think you can find me that will aide me so? Do you know the location of the mythical ambrosia?" The Conqueror mocked, a sarcastic laugh erupting before she could stop herself.

Gabrielle smirked at the statement but didn't mention it in her response, "Ares is hiding some things from you and I know he has to have talked you into wagering something in return for his assistance..."

"Watch what you say... Ares has done very little to get me here, just because he's more active as of late does not mean he gifted me my position."

"My apologies... I didn't mean to give you less credit than you deserve, Xena. But I know the Gods, he can't be offering his powers expecting nothing in return..."

Xena sat back in her chair, a smile twitching into existence as she looked over the woman sitting across from her. "You know, I have to keep reminding myself that you came from a farm. It's quite amusing but also quite... Curious."

'If only you knew... That you're the reason I know all of these things.' Gabrielle thought, her smirk never wavering.

"Ares wishes to have an heir, and I am his chosen vessel. Nothing more will be given on my end..." The words dropped dead on Xena's tongue as she noticed a distinct shift in the other woman's posture. 

It looked as though every muscle in the small blonde's body had suddenly tensed, her jaw appeared to be the most obvious. Her teeth were clenched tightly, the Conqueror watched as the woman digested the information.

"Since he hasn't helped you get here, why do you need him?" Gabrielle said finally, her voice low and even.

"Revenge. It's what has helped me survive this long, if I could exact it... Well, I would be able to say I could die then and there and be happy."

"Caesar." Gabrielle said simply, her body language still very tense.

"Yes, he must die."

Gabrielle stared at the doppelganger of her soul mate, she could feel her heart growing heavy. 

No matter what life, what situation. Xena would always have one driving force behind everything she did. Whether it be guilt like her past life, or revenge in her current existence.   
The bard had never quiet understood it, she never understood how Xena had a knack for dwelling on such negative things. But then again, she was the conqueror's foil in that regard. She was almost always optimistic but this situation seemed like it was going to be difficult.

"So Ares is going to help you defeat Caesar... And you will give him an heir." The bard shook her head, "You're pathetic. How can you claim, to have earned this on your own but be unable to defeat Caesar? I've heard of your exploits, Xena. Your men are all loyal if you'd cut Ares from the picture... It's his men that poison your army."

Xena's brows furrowed but she remained silent as the smaller woman continued her rant, "And you're going to tell me that you can't defeat Caesar when you apparently brought down the son of Zeus? And I'm also to believe that wasn't a stunt? Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic."

The Conqueror took in a deep breath, "Yes, it was a stunt." 

Why was she saying this, she had no reason to defend herself against a peasant, a slave. And yet she felt compelled to care about what this other woman thought of her. The thought of disappointing her sent a fear streaking through Xena's entire body.

"Hercules is alive, I lured him in... He and his friend, Iolaus. They were so easy to fool. Hercules actually thought he could reform me and bring me to believe in peace!" The warrior scoffed, her eyes far away as she spoke. 

"Ares had told me he wanted Hercules out of the picture and that it would be a great opportunity for us to work together and better solidify my name as someone not to fuck with. I wanted to be as well known as that damn demigod, he did not earn those abilities... His father just had a knack for getting around." She snarled, her knuckles white as she gripped her chalice.

"Ares had me slip some poison into his wineskin... It wasn't meant to kill him, only make him appear dead. The wounds Ares and I inflicted on him were artificial, to any mortal they would have been more serious... I'm sure they healed with time given his... Condition. I'm not necessarily proud of it today but at the time it was a good way to show people I wasn't a pushover and that I needed to be taken seriously."

Gabrielle's expression remained the same, the disapproval in her eyes made Xena's pulse quicken and her throat tight. What was this woman doing to her?

"...I am going to free Hercules and Aphrodite, either one of them would be willing to help you without asking anything in return." Gabrielle said as she rose from her seat, "I would appreciate it if you would allow at least two of my sisters to travel with me."

"You may take four, I would like it if you returned safely... Take Solari and Aella in addition to whomever you've already decided on, the only one who must remain here is Cyane. Ares will be suspicious if he sees her missing as she is seen pretty frequently around camp."

The bard nodded, she recognized Solari's name but the second name was new to her. 

Hopefully Ephiny and Leah would know who the mysterious new Amazon was, the blonde dipped her head before moving to leave.

"Gabrielle... Wait."

Xena rose and grabbed the smaller woman gently by the arm, "You've been right, about everything... But I have to do this, Caesar must die. He has killed many innocent people and..."

"He killed M'Lila."

Xena's eyes closed at this but she nodded, "Yes... But it was more than just that, what he did to me... It changed me, what before was something that I thought of as fun and something that I could stop whenever I wanted has now become my life. I cannot escape it, I've tried."

Gabrielle's eyes softened for a moment, the woman just inches away no longer seemed so different, so unfamiliar. 

Reaching out and stroking the warrior's cheek out of habit the blonde shook her head. " No, you can escape it. You just haven't tried the right way, there is always a way Xena. If you allow it, Caesar's destiny will claim him. And a man like that... His destiny will only end in a pool of blood."

She struggled to not let the true fate of Caesar slip off of her tongue, she knew quite well what had become of the once powerful ruler. Stabbed to death brutally by his own allies, his own men.

"I should go... I need to prepare to leave at first light." Gabrielle whispered, her eyes moving away as she turned to do the same.

"Please... Stay." Xena whispered back, her arms circling around the small waist as she pulled the smaller woman's body back into her own.

Gabrielle could feel the heat of the other woman's breath on her neck and shoulder, her eyes fluttered shut as she gave into the embrace. She couldn't keep fighting this, it was too difficult. 

It had been growing increasingly difficult as the older woman slowly became more and more like her old lover, she had become softer. Far more calm and understanding than the surly woman that Gabrielle had met almost over a moon ago.

Xena nuzzled the soft flesh of Gabrielle's neck, the calming scent of the younger woman filling her senses as she held her close. 

The blonde's natural scent was intoxicating, she smelled faintly sweet but held a very earthy scent as well. 

The dark haired woman wished that she could bottle the smell just to keep this feeling of calm at all times, she could feel her heart beat slowing considerably as they remained still for several moments.

Suddenly the taller woman sucked in a deep breath, Gabrielle had reached around suddenly; her hands moving up from the back of the conqueror's lower thigh. She moved the soft fabric of the dress up with her hands as they went, her hands slowing considerably as they moved over the swell of the warrior's firm bottom.

Squeezing the cheeks the bard felt a shiver roll down her spine as the warrior began to kiss her neck, the dark haired woman moved her mouth higher to the base of the ear.

"Are you sure?" Xena whispered, her grip tightening on the smaller waist. Her response came when the shorter woman leaned into her more, she turned her head suddenly capturing the lips of the dark haired woman without warning. 

Xena swallowed a moan as she was backed up towards her bed, the smaller woman's tongue sliding gently across her bottom lip before she allowed it to slip inside her mouth.  
Gabrielle fell on top of the Conqueror as they found themselves by the bed, her knee was quickly thrust up and between the taller woman's long legs. 

She remembered Xena saying how much her old self had loved to be surprised and dominated. She had preferred sadistic and rough lovers in her younger years. In her current state, Gabrielle had enough pent up frustration that she was more than prepared to fulfill the Conqueror's every need.

Xena gasped as she felt the strong leg connect with the apex of her thighs, it hadn't been hard enough to hurt but the pressure of the strong limb against her was causing her lower stomach to twist in pleasure. She was shocked that the usually reserved woman was suddenly so passionate and aggressive but she was certainly not complaining.

She watched the woman above her moving, the tent behind her seemed to disappear Gabrielle seemed to change as well. Her hair remained the same but her outfit changed, she wore a very revealing metallic looking top. Her arm moved towards Xena's body and in a hypnotic fashion, Xena saw her own arm snake out. 

She was instantly confused as she noticed she was now wearing thick, black leather. The Conqueror watched as the scene played out before her as if she were watching it from afar now, the room was filled with faces she did not recognize but maybe that was because she was so focused on Gabrielle. The way that the other woman's tanned body moved was turning her on more than any touch she'd ever felt, she was hypnotized by the slow and intimate dance.

Blinking Xena was brought back to the tent, the bard's teeth nibbling not so gently at her neck. Groaning and pushing the strange scene to the back of her mind, she turned her full attention back to the blonde's advances.

Gabrielle smiled as she heard the woman beneath her begin to respond, if she wasn't going to see Xena for another extended period of time she was going to make sure that she gave her a night to remember.


End file.
